Those who knowingly reject the Atoning Messiah (the priests of Noah) are “carnal [and] devilish.” While we do not know if Abinadi has specifically accused the priests of succumbing to the temptations of the flesh, certainly Mormon characterized them that way (Mosiah 11, esp. v. 14). If Abinadi had not made a prior accusation, he is probably articulating a perception common among the people who did not embrace Noah’s reforms.
As Abinadi builds to his climax, he reinforces the Messiah’s mission from yet another angle. Since the issue at hand is the requirement that even the Mosaic law recognizes this Atoning Messiah, Abinadi begins with another point of agreement between himself and the priests: the fall of Adam and Eve. As part of the text on the brass plates, this doctrine must be one that the priests believe and teach.
Abinadi points out, not the fall from Yahweh’s grace, but the fall from innocence before Yahweh. He emphasizes the state of sin into which Adam and all humanity fell. First, Abinadi notes that, after the fall, Adam (and humanity) knew good from evil. Such knowledge is an essential component of his argument, because Abinadi has already stressed the salvation of innocents (Mosiah 15:24–25). Adam and humankind have fallen into a state of knowledge. Being under the sway of sin, they are also under the influence of Satan.